Public Affairs 5030: Local Government

• Attendance/Participation/Engagement 15%

• Local Government Fundamentals Quiz 5%

• Adopt-a-Government 15%

• Local Government Issue/News Brief 20%

• Public Meeting Summary Paper 20%

• Local Government Policy Memo 25%

Your participation and engagement are expected in this course, and should mirror productive civic engagement. As such, I expect that each student:

• Be present –Regular class attendance is expected, and excessive unexcused absences may adversely affect your final grade.
• Be prepared – Read/watch/listen to the required course materials, review the discussion prompts, and be ready to engage in the week’s conversations and activities.
• Contribute meaningfully – We can learn as much from one another as we do from the course materials and instructor. Participate in class discussions, ask good questions, and carry the content forward with your contributions.

A brief, online, open-book learning assessment will be due by September 11 which assesses student understanding of the foundational materials covered during the first weeks of class, as well as provide students with an opportunity to evaluate their ability to be successful in the course prior to the drop deadline.

At the beginning of the semester, students will choose a general-purpose local government within the United States to use as a case study throughout the course. This can be the student’s hometown or a community the student wishes to learn more about. Students will be expected to independently research and discuss how the content being explored in the course relates to their selected local government in response to a series of prompts posted to Carmen throughout the semester.

Students will identify one or more recent news stories (i.e., published within the last 2-3 weeks) related to a pressing local government issue, challenge, or initiative. On their assigned date, students will deliver a brief (approximately 5 minute) presentation of the news item(s) and the associated issue to the class, and lead class discussion on the topic. This presentation should describe the news item, identify the issues being discussed in the news item, why the issue is important, and discuss how the issue relates to what we have learned as a class so far. The presentation should incorporate course readings, information gleaned from class presentations, and reputable and recent external sources. Presentations should include visual supports, such as slides, brief videos, etc. Links to all cited news items should be included in the presentation for the class to reference.

To receive credit for the assignment and for the presentation to be loaded in time for the class presentation to take place as scheduled, the student should submit their slide presentation on CarmenCanvas PRIOR TO THE START OF CLASS ON THE ASSIGNED DATE. In the event that a student is unable to present on their assigned date, the instructor should be notified immediately, and the student will be expected to upload a video presentation to CarmenCanvas and lead a class discussion online.

One of the best ways to learn about how local governments operate is to spend time watching them in action. Students will attend (virtually or in-person) a public meeting of their chosen general purpose local government’s legislative branch (i.e., Township Trustees, City Council, County Board of Commissioners) and write a 3-5 page paper that describes the organization, the meeting, and one policy issue that is discussed during the meeting.

The paper should include the following:

• Basic information about the local government and the meeting (name of local government, date, time, and location of meeting, etc.)
• A copy of the meeting agenda should be included as an attachment/appendix to the paper and should not be included in the 3-5-page requirement.
• Discuss the tone, pacing, and style of the meeting. For example, who presided over the meeting, was there much discussion or were most items ushered through quickly? What roles were the elected body performing? Describe any public engagement.
• Discuss the agenda style of the meeting. Do they use a consent agenda or is each item read separately? How many readings does legislation require? Is there an enactment waiting period? A public comment requirement?
• Identify and discuss one substantive policy issue (i.e., a piece of legislation or a policy briefing) being discussed by and/or voted on by the legislative body
  • What is the issue?
  • Who brought the issue forward?
  • What local government staff, departments, and stakeholders are involved in the issue?
  • Is the issue contentious (i.e., are there opposing views being expressed, what are they?)
  • What competing local governance values are at play?
  • What was the ultimate disposition of the issue (i.e., voted on, tabled, etc.)?

Students are expected to use outside resources to learn more about the organization and the issue being considered, noting that most local government websites include tools for searching current prior agendas and meeting minutes, legislative history for ordinances, and staff reports on issues on the agenda.

Students should plan ahead to identify the local government whose public meeting they wish to attend and ensure that there is a meaningful agenda planned for that meeting date. Currently, many public bodies are meeting in-person and streaming their meetings online, using Facebook, YouTube and other online formats. Research the entity’s meeting platform ahead of time to ensure that you can view the meeting without issues. While multiple students may attend/view the same meeting, this is an individual assignment and students are expected to complete these papers independently.

Local elected officials frequently serve in part-time roles, and rely on their administration to provide them with the information they need to make educated decisions. For this assignment, students will prepare a policy memo from the perspective of a city or county manager who is supporting their council or commission in a decision-making process on an important issue.

Students should select the specific policy issue discussed in the policy memo based on personal interest and the issue should be relevant today in the context of local government management. Topics that have a state or federal government or non-profit sector focus would not be appropriate for this assignment. Students may pick a specific local government setting as the setting for this assignment in order to provide additional context, such as existing ordinances, state law, and/or political guidance from the charter. They may also reference prior meeting agendas and associated materials for additional perspective.

Students will submit a 3-4 sentence explanation of their selected issue.

The Policy Memo should be crafted to effectively convey the relevant information to elected officials from the point of view of the administration. It should include the following sections:

• A summary of the issue and the policy question at hand
• Background information, including any relevant legislative history
• Policy options available to the elected body
• Analysis (cost, legal considerations, public concerns, etc.)
• Recommendation

This assignment serves as a substitute for a final exam for this course, and as such, should incorporate learning from relevant course readings, presentations, and discussions, as well as reputable and recent external sources.

The policy memo should be 6-10 pages in length. Any table, graph, or other graphic that takes up more than 25% of the page should be included as an appendix, and not included in the page count. All sources should be cited appropriately, and a bibliography of sources used and web links to online sources used in the preparation of the paper should be included (but is not part of the page count requirement).